Follow the Fader

The Dead 60s

The Dead 60s could easily get lumped into the overflowing genre of retroism, showing similarities to the danceable goodness of The Rapture and Radio 4. This is only skin deep, as there is much more to their sound than just booty shaking beats. Rather than blending in with the sound of the various other bands from their home city of Liverpool, the Dead 60s looked to the music of The Specials and The English Beat instead of The Beatles. After giving their self-titled album a listen, I still can't believe that this group is from Liverpool. They have truly isolated themselves from the sound of their hometown and have created their own scene. The album kicks off with the ska-flavored "Riot Radio", giving us a unique aural assault of '80s punk-funk fused with a bit of reggae. Surprisingly, it really works. Sounding a bit like the Clash helps as well. On "Control This", the band delves head first into full-throttle ska, complete with fat dub bass lines mixed in with the sounds of somebody smoking that whacky tobaccy. "We Get Low" continues that dubtastic groove, as well as the topic of those funny smelling cigarettes. Now that I am more than halfway through the record, I am still trying to understand how these guys come from Liverpool. "You're Not The Law" is a paranoid track, tossing in distorted keys reminiscent of the jams Lurch would throw down during episodes of The Addams Family. This one could very well be my favorite, and it would make the Stranglers proud. The Dead 60s walk a fine line between ska and indie rock, which they have mastered in style. I am quite picky when it comes to the genre of ska, and the Dead 60s easily passed the test. Now I need some Cheetos...